Mission Statement

The mission of /r/gameofthrones is to provide a place where everyone can safely enjoy and discuss the Game of Thrones television series, the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and the works of GRRM regardless of their level of knowledge about those works. /r/gameofthrones is a safe haven from the careless spoilers, immature behavior, condescending attitudes and illegal content found elsewhere on the internet.

The Five Subreddit Values

The following five values represent the core beliefs of this subreddit and its subscribers. All content posted to /r/gameofthrones must reflect each of the five values, and any content that fails to honor one or more of them will be removed. These are the guidelines for the behavior expected from all subscribers in order to achieve the mission of /r/gameofthrones. Details and examples are given below each value but these lists are not exhaustive and the moderation team reserves the right to remove any content that impedes the subreddit's mission. Serious violations will result in a ban and loss of posting privileges.

1. Relevancy: All Content Must be Relevant to the ASOIAF Universe

This community was founded as a place for fans to meet and discuss Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire and that is its primary function. Subscribers to /r/gameofthrones come here to discuss specific topics and ideas relating to those works and are savvy enough to find other communities for off-topic conversation should they want to. Growing a community that focuses solely on the stories and themes of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire is the first value of /r/gameofthrones.

All posts must be related to the show or books and that connection should be the focus/point of the post.

The connection to the show or book should be apparent without extra explanation or interpretation.

"Meta" discussions and posts about other posts are not allowed. Any questions or suggestions for the subreddit should be communicated directly to the moderation team.

2. Safety: All Spoilers and Theories Must Have a Clear and Specific Warning

The subscribers of /r/gameofthrones are people who care deeply about preserving the story for new fans in an unspoiled condition. They go out of their way to provide ample warning regarding spoilers so that new fans have the opportunity to experience the story in the same way that they did. A strong desire to protect others from spoilers whenever possible is the second value of /r/gameofthrones.

All new posts must start with a bracketed spoiler warning (example: [ADWD]) that exactly matches the formatting found in the Spoiler Guide.

Comment replies with spoilers outside a post's title scope must use cover tags with specific warnings.

Don't joke, hint, tease, or troll with spoilers unless they are tagged for easy avoidance.

Ignorance is not an excuse. All contributors to the subreddit are expected to review and abide by the rules without exception.

Posting from a phone is not an excuse to avoid using spoiler tags. Spoiler tags use the same markup as regular hyperlinks, so it is possible to use them on a phone. If you are unwilling or unable to use the spoiler tags from your phone then you are not allowed to post spoilers.

The complete rules regarding spoilers and how to warn for them can be found in the Spoiler Guide.

3. Quality: All Content Must be High Quality & Provide Unique Value to the Subreddit

This subreddit is an ASOIAF fan community larger and unlike any other on the internet and its subscribers constantly seek to maintain or improve that reputation. Cultivation of content that is creative, informative, provocative or otherwise unique to other communities on the internet is the third value of /r/gameofthrones.

All posts must provide unique value compared to other recent posts.

Image posts are only allowed if they promote discussion of the show/books or have creative value. Screenshots, memes, quotes pasted over pictures, hasty Photoshop jobs, etc. are not allowed.

Reader-reaction posts should promote discussion about the show/books/story. "My reaction when..." posts are not allowed.

Reposted content must be old enough to be considered fresh again, and you need to check the new posts list before you submit. The time to wait varies based on this schedule:

April-June = 1-week limit

July-August = 2-week limit

September-January = 1-month limit

February-March = 2-week limit

4. Maturity: Content Must be Respectful and Mature

The subscribers of /r/gameofthrones are intelligent and attentive fans capable of discussing sensitive topics in a calm and cultured fashion. Rudeness, trolling, and explicit lewdness are the hallmarks of an immature community and have no place on this subreddit. The ability to remain civil and mature, even when discussing controversial topics, is the fourth value of /r/gameofthrones.

5. Legality: Promoting Piracy is Not Allowed

This subreddit does not condone the act or promotion of piracy because the authors, writers, directors, editors, actors, publishers, manufacturers, crew and all other personnel involved in the creation of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire deserve to be compensated for their part in the creation of the works that /r/gameofthrones subscribers love and enjoy. An anti-piracy stance is the 5th value of /r/gameofthrones.

Don't post links or direct people to free/pirated show or book media. This includes inviting people to PM you for links.

Don't ask for links or direction to free/pirated show or book media. This includes asking people to PM you links.

Posting the name of a site counts as directing someone to pirate, and asking for a PM to a pirate link in a comment is still asking inside the subreddit.

Linking to subreddits that promote, encourage or assist in piracy is not allowed.

Discussion of piracy as a concept is fine, including the idea that HBO's choice to limit access is driving people to piracy; just don't use this community to perform piracy.

Posts about random real-world stuff that reminds you of GOT are not allowed. Post them to /r/earthoficeandfire.

Generic "Hodor" posts that are just repeats of the same old joke are not allowed. Post them to /r/hodor.

Posts about an actor's career before/after Game of Thrones are not allowed. Post them to /r/television or /r/movies.

Pictures of an actor in real life (off set) are not allowed. Post them to /r/pics.

Marketing & Commercial Posts

/r/gameofthrones values unique and creative content, which usually excludes a lot of generic merchandise (such as the items sold in HBO's online store or paperback novels). Merchandise and marketing posts are allowed on the following conditions:

Do not post photos of your books, t-shirts, pins, swords, or other widely available ASOIAF-related merchandise unless there is something unique about it (signature, personalization, rare edition, etc).

Photos of your unique handmade crafts/merchandise are welcome.

Linking to places where merchandise can be purchased is ok.

Commercial posts are allowed, including links to your own products, as long as they are not spammed and all copyright laws are obeyed.

Accounts that exist primarily to promote a single website are not allowed in accordance with Reddit's Rules.